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Bummed

Happy Mondays

1988

Bummed

Album Summary

Bummed is the second studio album by English rock band Happy Mondays, released in November 1988 on Factory Records. During 1987 and early 1988, the band discovered house music and the rave drug ecstasy. Factory producer Martin Hannett was subsequently enlisted to produced the band's next album. Sessions were held at The Slaughterhouse in Driffield over three weeks. The period was noted for heavy drug use by the band and Hannett, with their manager later calling it the first ecstasy-fuelled album. Hannett moved recording to Strawberry, where with the aid of other musicians, added extra instrumentation. Bummed is a Madchester release described as "stiff psychedelic funk" by AllMusic. It was influenced by the 1970 film Performance. Happy Mondays toured the United Kingdom supporting James in late 1987, which coincided with the release of the lead single from Bummed, "Wrote for Luck", on 31 October 1988. Happy Mondays played a series of headlining shows to close out the year; stints of mainland Europe and the UK followed in the first half of 1989. "Lazyitis – One Armed Boxer", an alternative version of closing track "Lazy Itis", was released as the second single from the album on 6 May 1989. Following this, the band embarked on a North American tour supporting labelmates Pixies. At the suggestion of their manager, remixes of "Wrote for Luck" – retitled "W.F.L." – were made by Paul Oakenfold and Vince Clarke of Erasure. These versions were released together as part of a reissued "W.F.L." single in September 1989. Bummed received generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom praised Hannett's production work. It peaked at number 59 on the UK Albums Chart, though was initially seen as a disappointing seller by Factory Records. The original version of "Wrote for Luck" reached number seven on the UK Independent Singles Chart. "Lazyitis – One Armed Boxer" charted at number 46 on the UK Singles Chart, followed by the remixed "W.F.L." at number 68. Bummed appeared on album of the year and best of decade lists by NME and Sounds and Q. "Wrote for Luck" and Bummed have been viewed as defining releases of the acid house era and the Second Summer of Love.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.67

Votes

5702

Genres

  • Rock
  • Indie
Reviews
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Fri Sep 10 2021
2

If somebody were to take the worst elements of 80's music (cheesy keys, gated drums, a dreadful moaning vocalist, all saturated in reverb and thinned waaaaay-the-fuck-out to a treble-y right hot mess) and mix it together, you'd have this album. Not for me.

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Fri Dec 03 2021
2

Sounds like what it is: mediocre, drug-addled, pop rock. Pretty boring, honestly. Ecstasy is not a good drug for making music, apparently.

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Thu May 20 2021
4

I'm a sucker for psychedelia and funk. Throw in some electronic soon and I fall for it. Let's be fair. This is no Stone Roses. But it is still one of the defining albums of the short-lived Madchester movement, which became associated with early rave culture in the UK. And indeed you can dance to this. Now, a lot of people think it's dated. I personally don't get that vibe, and I think it holds more than as a product of its time. Did this album remind anyone else of Public Image Ltd? That being said, I do see many of the faults associated with the album. Maybe I have a twisted music taste, but I loved each of the tracks, each with a unique sound that kept things interesting. And that's enough for me to give it 4 stars. I don't have a favorite track, but Lazitis stood out for me (for sampling Ticket to Ride). Other tracks I really liked were Country Song, Mad Cyril, Performance, Brain Dead, Wrote for Luck, Do It Better, Hallelujah, and Rave On. That's half the album...

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Wed Oct 27 2021
4

It wasn’t as good as ‘Pills n Thrills n Bellyaches’ but this album was useful to hear that blend of New Wave and electronic influences which became the Madchester sound. This album is heavily influenced by the talking heads, the smiths, and Lazyitis was very reminiscent of the Beatles’ Ticket to Ride. Overall a nice coherent transition album.

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Wed Oct 19 2022
2

The musical equivalent of licking doorknobs.

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Wed Jan 12 2022
1

Yeah I was pretty bummed when this came up. Terrible.

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Thu Apr 15 2021
4

Tym razem tak wyspiarsko undergroundowy albumik, ze az zwiazany z manchesterem, bo wedlug wiki jest to gatunek zwany madchester, a czym jest ten oblakany czester, wiec jest to muzyka z pogranicza funka roka, na ktora powstanie miala wspolczesna scena rave, wiec rok 88 muzyka elektro i mordownie ekstazowo lsdowe menczesteru, takie jest wlasnie tlo tego albumiku, juz nawet teraz slysze, ze ciekawie musi to brzmiec jeszcze pod wplywem psychoaktywnoych substancji, syntezatorowe noisy jak na moving in with daja ciekawe efekty, dobry odsluch, bo nie slyszalem jeszcze czegos podobnego, ozywienie psychodelicznego rokowania w nowej orginalnej postaci, tutaj syntezatory klawiszowe, a zaraz ktos na sitarce robi solowke, przy czym wokalista sobie gwizda na wszystko, doslownie, a co do wokalu, to nie jest to spiewanie wyczynowe a raczej spiewanie psychodeliczne, wiec tez dosc specyficzne, widoczne jest wykorzystanie substancji podczas tworzenia tej plyty, ale o dziwo nie ucierpiala na tym produkcja, bo albumik jest jakosciowy jesli chodzi o mastering, sprawdzam kto tam to mixowal, a to pan Martin Hannett od joy division, wiec swiatowej klasy producent, liczynie jest to zabawa w narkotyki, glowny motyw, na plejaka leci wrote for luck, brain dead i country song, jak bedzie okazja trzeba przesluchac jak wypada reszta dyskografii bandy, albo raczej ich lidera Ryderowego, bo widze, ze sporo stuffu pod innymi bandami rowniez tworzyl

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Fri May 14 2021
4

Enjoyable and catchy. Very listenable even on first play.

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Fri Aug 06 2021
4

Groovy

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Sun Aug 29 2021
4

I didn't expect this to be good and was pleasantly surprised. Started off strong with a little bit of a lull but most of this album was really good.

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Fri Feb 12 2021
3

It’s no pills and thrills but I suspect a few were had in the making.

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Fri Aug 27 2021
2

I'm uhhh .. really BUMMED this album is something I had to hear before I die

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Thu Sep 30 2021
1

Belanglos, langweilig, überflüssig - mir gehen in Bezug auf die Platten in dieser Liste, die besser nicht aufgenommen worden wären, langsam die Adjektive aus.

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Wed Mar 17 2021
5

Nick was loving it!

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Fri Jan 14 2022
5

idk yet

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Thu Feb 24 2022
5

Kamalt El Hadra Ethenya M 3l Bouheli Mte3 Dostoevsky. I'm Better, Ahmed Still Needs Help. I'm Still Waiting For Calls

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Fri Apr 01 2022
5

I had never heard of Happy Mondays and had zero expectations going in, but I really liked this album. It definitely sounds of a time, but in many ways sounds relevant today as well. Fat White Family seems like the closest modern contemporary. An unusual but catchy blend of dance and '80s pop rock, Bummed is great for repeat listens.

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Wed May 04 2022
5

I feel like I had this idea years ago where you could mix punk and new wave styles with a psychedelic flow, but I never found something that hit its mark quite like this. Magazine by Magazine was pretty good, but it was more gothic than what I had in mind. This is a perfect blend of new wave and psychedelia. The lyrics are on point for a new wave album, but they are heavily based in psychedelic music in their tone. The cadence is very new wave, but the subjects range in a more psychedelic style than most new wave projects which I think is pretty daring. The instrumentation has a lot of contemporary aesthetics in the drums and guitars. The addition of the keys to be that 60s style is a choice that I really love since I can't get enough of that sound. Definitely a stranger album, but I think I will only like it more and more with age. Highlights: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

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Fri Jul 15 2022
5

This was way better than I expected, despite the shitty prod and mix.

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Mon Oct 03 2022
5

Wicked!

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Wed Nov 02 2022
5

Ayyy Bez was on Pimp My Ride UK, cool guy

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Tue Oct 06 2020
4

not another fucking Happy Mondays album. oh wait it’s good actually. pretty tripped out. some of the songs kinda blend, but the vibe’s good. a more interesting, less sterile version of the following album.

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Wed Jan 27 2021
4

Lovely ecstasy filled tunes from the past, early psychedelic rock

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Fri Apr 09 2021
4

3.5. Very early nu wave vibes with some music that seems to have influenced the 80s, especially the poppier The Cure

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Thu May 13 2021
4

Oki Pop

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Tue Jan 26 2021
4

Pretty solid melding of genres. I’m into it! The lead guitar on “Lazyitis” is beautiful with all that reverb.

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Sun Jun 06 2021
4

Leuk! Smaakt naar meer.

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Sun Jun 06 2021
4

Nooit in de Happy Mondays verdiept maar dit is echt wel tof! Duidelijk waar Stone Roses zich door hebben laten inspireren.

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Wed Jul 21 2021
4

English Grunge? Yes please.

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Wed Sep 29 2021
4

4/5 - fun!

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Fri Nov 26 2021
4

Quite enjoyable at a first listen, time will tell how good.

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Fri Dec 03 2021
4

vella gay

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Wed Dec 22 2021
4

I will listen to this today!

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Wed Dec 22 2021
4

I really enjoyed listening to this album and will definitely put a few songs on my running playlist. Kinda like a mash of Talking Heads, Green Day and the Cure, if that's possible. I especially liked the first track and now can't get "lalalala redneck" out of my head. And, who doesn't like a song that ends with a horse neigh? I would advise against selling ecstasy to the army, though!

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Fri Dec 31 2021
4

Happy Mondays at their very best

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Fri Jan 14 2022
4

Pretty good album! I’d like to use this time to ask ask the question; why is it that Spotify and Apple Music always put these remastered versions of albums up that double the songs of the original release? It’s always a bunch of B-sides or demos. Really kills the flow of an album or in the case of one like Bummed, I have no idea if this is a double album or just expanded. I have to assume because they're the latest version the studios have put out, so that’s what these services are able to license. I’ve noticed this trend more going through the list of albums and most LPs are usually only 30-45 minutes long, but the version that’s available is 2 hours long. It’s too much! It’s like if the only version of Lord of the Rings that was available was the extended editions. I would never watch them!

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Wed Mar 16 2022
4

I really liked this.

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Thu Feb 03 2022
4

Wow I didn't know what to think but I really, really liked this. Heavy Cure like sound but nothing wrong with that.

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Thu Apr 28 2022
4

old school

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Fri Apr 29 2022
4

Takes a while to click but once the fug clears it's great, love the grooves and just the general vibe. 3.5 rounded up

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Fri May 06 2022
4

-The singer in "Fat Lady Wrestlers" sounds a bit like Ace Frehley -Overall a pretty nice funk/dance/rock-ish album. Generally nice. Nothing was mind-blowing, but the energy was good. Probably a soft 4 star album.

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Wed May 25 2022
4

Really cool alternative rock album from the late 80s. It presages a lot of musical ideas that will come to fruition in the 90s. Well worth a listen 4/5

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Thu May 26 2022
4

I really liked Brain Dead and Do It Better. The album was pleasant to listen to, and not much "bothered me" but not too much stood out. A 3.5 is really more accurate than a 3 or a 4 here, but since that isn't an option and I'm having a good day, it's a 4.

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Fri Jun 10 2022
4

I think Luke would break up with me if I rated this less than 4... but luckily I did really enjoy this and recognised a good few off here. It's so much of things I love about 80s rock - synths, the way the vocals are mixed, the drums. again, another album which makes me reminiscent of the 80s even though I wasn't there

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Mon Jul 25 2022
4

Felt like I was high in the first parts of the song traveling across the country and then decided to take acid when it wore off through the rest of it. Really good stuff.

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Sun Jul 31 2022
4

I wasn't sure an ecstasy-fueled psychedelic album from the 80s would be my cup of tea. But I enjoyed this more than I expected. Witty lyrics and a great 80s dance vibe made me think this might have been just the ticket for an ecstasy-fueled evening at the hottest club in 1989. Interesting and fun!

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Sun Aug 07 2022
4

4/5

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Sun Sep 04 2022
4

A great listen

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Thu Oct 06 2022
4

Never heard this album before. Pretty great all round

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Fri Oct 21 2022
4

Sounds like The Smiths, Killing Joke, New Order and The Beatles put in a blender with a generous helping of coke and ecstasy sprinkled in

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Sun Dec 18 2022
4

Love a bit of mondys

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Tue Jan 03 2023
4

Moving in With: Drum nya keren, rima kata di liriknya jga lucu. Aransemen lagunya juga trippy, mungkin krna dri penggunaan ekstasi & obat2an yg banyak waktu rekaman albumnya. Mad cyril: itu hammond organ kah? Boleh lah utk efeknya di lagu. Bring a friend: di saat tertentu, vokalnya out of time, tpi instrumental album nya ttp bikin formula nya bekerja, jdi ga kacau bgt. Lazyitis: Lgu yg ditulis jga dngan bantuan lirik dri Beatles - Ticket to Ride. Unik jga krna kyk dnger lgu Beatles tpi dimodif sama Happy Mondays

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Thu Jan 05 2023
4

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Do it better

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Sun Jan 15 2023
4

Слушала его вчера фоном, как фоновая музыка он офигенный. Че-то бодренькое, слова повторяются, мелодии повторяются, нет никакого надрыва. Лайк.

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Fri Feb 03 2023
4

PREFS : Country Song, Performance, Brain Dead, Wrote For Luck, Bring a Friend, Do It Better, Lazy Itis MOINS PREF : Mad Cyril

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Thu Mar 09 2023
4

Such an original and interesting piece of alternative. Mixes ‘70s punk with hint of ‘80s electronic. It feels like a precursor to something like Le Tigre. I’d never heard of this but enjoyed it quite a bit.

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Thu Mar 09 2023
4

I really like Fat Lady Wrestlers.

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Thu Mar 23 2023
4

Very fun album. Favorite track: Mad Cyril

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Wed Mar 29 2023
4

Really enjoyed this, got me into exploring the Madchester genre. Close to a 5-star..

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Tue Sep 08 2020
3

Not my scene

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Wed Apr 21 2021
3

I kind of like this one a *little* more than the previous one I listened to, but it's still a hazy ... something. The drugs in Manchester must have been great. Favorite tracks: "Mad Cyril", "Fat Lady Wrestlers", "Brain Dead"

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Sun Mar 28 2021
3

Good but I like Pills n Thrills better

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Sun Jan 31 2021
3

Ecstasy Alternative

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Sun Feb 28 2021
3

weird sound but a few good songs

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Sun Feb 07 2021
3

So much of this was good. Real weird and the lyrics were lame in a good way too. Quite smiths like that second track too. Obvs v stone roses too.

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Fri Jan 29 2021
3

It turns out the only Happy Mondays songs I've heard are from their next album. Had a hard time getting into this album at first; it walks a very fine line between shaggy and sloppy. "Wrote For Luck" is a standout, also helped to listen to some of the remixes on the Collector's Edition. "Lazyitis" also was a bright spot on my first listen. Tough to rate; probably a 2.5. 2 if I focus on the negatives and 3 on the things it does well. Wikipedia highlight: "Bummed is definitely an E album, perhaps the first full album ever made on that drug"

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Tue Jan 26 2021
3

pretty good

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Sun Feb 07 2021
3

Cool to hear them in a more psychedelic phase. Bits of this were even shoegazey. But kinda forgettable sometimes too?

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Fri Jun 25 2021
3

It helped to understand that they were on MDMA when they made this. I almost get it. If those were their only instruments, I suppose I could see how this would be the byproduct. But… not my thing.

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Wed Jun 09 2021
3

It was enjoyable. I didn't listen to it loudly enough. I bet it's a banger at high volumes. 3.5.

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Wed Apr 07 2021
3

Herrgott, wer hat Alben erfunden, die länger dauern als eine Folge Breaking Bad? War aber ned schlecht. Dh. 3

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Fri Mar 26 2021
3

Semibängeri Jännä punk/rock/emt?

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Sat Jan 23 2021
3

Very late 80s. I feel like if they were a bit more melodic, they could have easily been on iconic 80s movies soundtracks. Some fun bops but none help my attention.

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Mon May 10 2021
3

Reminds me of The Cure, just not quite as good.

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Wed May 05 2021
3

really catchy, pleasing, indie music. Hard to guess when it was produced. Could have come out this year for all I know.

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Mon May 17 2021
3

No están mal, pero un poco dolor de cabeza. Les daré un 3.

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Mon Feb 08 2021
3

Good but won’t go back and listen again

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Mon May 17 2021
3

5

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Thu Mar 25 2021
3

Enjoyable enough but didn’t really wow me

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Thu Mar 25 2021
3

Liked this a lot.

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Fri Mar 19 2021
3

"Son, I'm flirty - I only went with your mamma 'cos she's dirty" The inimitable Shaun Ryder and the Happy Mondays. It feels out of time and I don't think it's aged that well.

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Wed May 19 2021
3

I didn't really give this album an attentive listen but having it on in the background it really struck me as well... background music. Nothing really popped here for me to make me want to take a closer look. But that said, it was enjoyable to have on. I'm sure there's a universe in which I could get really into it.

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Fri Apr 02 2021
3

Not new to psychedelic genre, but I usually listen to rock instead of funk- Also they were definitely on smthn when recording these songs cuz Most Memorable Song : Mad Cyril - just like all the songs in this album its messy, but it doesnt take away from the song it just adds 👌 Other moments : Lazyitis sounds like it was made by an irish bad ngl. Also they were definitely going through it when they wrote Performance

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Wed Jun 02 2021
3

Happy Mondays are great, but this album is rubbish. Shaun can’t sing for toffee.

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Wed May 26 2021
3

Very much of its time. Not sure it holds up as a classic album. Interesting, but I wouldn’t revisit. Ryder’s vocals are fun but Happy Mondays sounds like a party you arrive at too late and everyone is wasted and they’re having more fun than you. Which is probably true.

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Wed May 19 2021
3

Some nice things, but not amazing

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Wed Jun 02 2021
3

My Design Tutor was a part of Grand Central Station and did all the Happy Monday’s Album covers. I also helped Bez carry a 14” TV and PS1 to his car when I worked at Curry’s It’s like being back home. 5/5

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Thu Jun 10 2021
3

For most of this album I couldn't get into it at all... When it doesn't hit it feels derivative, boring, laboured, uninspired. It kind of did win me over in the end though - there's a few tracks in the final third of the album, namely Rave On, which hit hard and really do achieve what I suspect Happy Mondays are trying to do on the record - groovy, hook-oriented dance rock that really grabs your attention and shakes you side to side. It's just a pity it took so long to get there

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Thu Jul 01 2021
3

One album several colours. The album is certainly not monotonous but not everyones taste. (6/10) Favorite Tracks: Lazyitis

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Wed Jul 28 2021
3

Pills Thrills Bellyaches is far superior but still a solid 3

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Fri Aug 20 2021
3

A mixture of early U2, the Smiths, and some New Order thrown in just to round things out. I liked the songs well enough.....2 or 3 at a time. Anything beyond that and all the songs started to sound the same.

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Mon Aug 23 2021
3

3.4 - I like it well enough, I guess? Sort of sounds like "Unbelievable" by EMF. It's got that British rave MDMA vibe to it. I like the guitar effects and other backing tracks. I'm sure the lyrics are interesting, maybe, if I could understand the vocals? I'm probably not taking the right drugs? I'd say I need to probably give it more time but I don't know that I want to.

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Sun Aug 29 2021
3

Garbled but above average pop-punk rock

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Sun Sep 19 2021
3

A little Shaun Ryder goes a long way for me. There's some good stuff here, Wrote For Luck and Lazy Itis are great but I think I like Pills 'n' Thrills better.

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Wed Sep 29 2021
3

An average album if ever there was one. Ok.

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Wed Oct 06 2021
3

I love 80's music....but I did not like this very much.

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Sun Oct 17 2021
3

Sounds very much of its time - the line between dated and nostalgic is thin! Not a band I knew well, due to my age, and my parents' ages, when they were big. Lazyitis (too short) and Wrote for Luck (too long) were my favourites

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Thu Nov 04 2021
3

I wouldn't call it "english grunge", nevertheless I appreciate the psychedelic features provided by Happy Mondays. Quite nice to listen, however I didn't find anything special for me.

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Sun Nov 07 2021
3

I know that with the country stats recently tallied that Britain came in second to the US as far as overall albums on the list, but so many British albums stand out simply because they don't stand out. A lot of British bands aren't that distinct from one another so you just wind up with a wash of whatever genre it is, whether it's punk, post-punk, Britpop, or whatever. There are some incredibly vital British albums, but the list needs to be pruned. This is a perfectly average British post-punk album that is a fine 3 and nothing more. It isn't necessary to have this much representation on the list when the music scene isn't that diverse.

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Wed Nov 17 2021
3

Another middle of the road project for the week. Pretty nondescript rock. Ever so slightly more enjoyable than yesterday's Joy Division album, but honestly about as forgettable. I can't say much at all here, I don't even know the band. Favorite tracks: Mad Cyril, Performance, Lazyitis. Album art: A cool painting, nice colors. Doesn't do much for me. 3/5

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